Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2009 Chevrolet Traverse: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 448 safety complaints about the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved September 7, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

448
Complaints
8
Recalls
3
Investigations

Complaints for this vehicle report 17 crashes, 2 fires, 16 injuries. No deaths have been reported.

Key findings
  1. Steering issues dominate. They appear in 52% of the 448 complaints on file — an unusually concentrated failure pattern.
  2. Complaints peaked 5 years after the model year (130 filed in 2014) — a pattern consistent with wear-out failures rather than assembly defects.
  3. 3 NHTSA defect investigations are associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse, steering issues stand far above everything else.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 448 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Steering
231
Engine & cooling
62
Power train / transmission
58
Other / unspecified
41
Airbags & restraints
39
Electrical
36
Brakes & stability
31
Speed control
18

"WAS DRIVING FINE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WITH NO WARNING CAR WOULD NOT GO FASTER THAN 15 MPH. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THEN TRACTION CONTROL WENT OFF. ACROSS THE DASH IT SAID "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL, SERVICE STABILITRACK AND REDUCED ENGINE POWER" THE CAR STARTED SHIFTING BETWEEN 2 DIFFERENT GEARS MAKING IT EXTREMELY SCARY TO TRY DRIVING TO A SAFE SPOT WITH 3 YOUNG KIDS."

Owner complaint filed February 2021 · Steering,Vehicle Speed Control,Unknown Or Other · NHTSA ODI 11397260

"WHEN TURNING AT LOW SPEED, THE VEHICLE LOSES POWER STEERING. AT FIRST THIS ONLY HAPPENED OCCASIONALLY AND NOT IT IS HAPPENING MORE. IT ALSO GETS WORSE IF VEHICLES HAS BEEN DROVE ALONG THAT DAY. CHECK POWER STEERING FLUID AND IT IS FULL. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN EVERY TIME I TURN BUT RANDOMLY WHEN TURNING AT LOW SPEED. TURNING ONTO A ROAD, AT STOPLIGHT OR INTO AND OUT OF PARKING SPOTS. HAPPENS WITH SPEEDS BETWEEN 5-20 MPH"

Owner complaint filed July 2020 · Steering · NHTSA ODI 11339172

When complaints were filed

For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2009 Chevrolet Traverse peaked later than usual, in 2014.

Complaints filed per year — 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
7
7
17
22
56
130
64
32
28
30
29
9
11
2
2
1
0
1
091011121314151617181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through September 7, 2026). A late peak is the signature of wear-out failures: parts that don't fail until the vehicle has years and miles on it.

How the 2009 compares with other model years

Across the Chevrolet Traverse model years we track, the 2010 has the most complaints on file (668); the 2009 ranks 5 of 6.

Total complaints by model year — Chevrolet Traverse
All complaints on file per model year, as of September 7, 2026
2009
448
668
608
547
457
403
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 8 recalls

8 recalls apply to some or all 2009 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Nov 200808V-615
Seat Belts: Rear/Other:Buckle Assembly

GM IS RECALLING 16,667 MY 2009 BUICK ENCLAVE, CHEVROLET TRAVERSE, GMC ACADIA, AND SATURN OUTLOOK VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 209, 'SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES.' THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT WITH A SAFETY BELT BUCKLE IN THE SECOND …

Mar 200909V-073
Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Lever And Linkage:Column Shift

GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING 276,729 MY 2009 BUICK ENCLAVE, CHEVROLET COBALT, HHR, MALIBU, TRAVERSE, GMC ACADIA, PONTIAC G5, G6 AND SATURN AURA AND OUTLOOK PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLES SAFETY STANDARD 102, "TRANSMISSION SHIFT POSITION SEQUENCE, STARTER…

May 200909V-153
Parking Brake

GM IS RECALLING 15,393 MY 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 135, "PASSENGER CAR BRAKE SYSTEMS." THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A PARK BRAKE CABLE LINK (CONNECTOR) THAT IS NOT TO SPECIFICATION. THIS CONNECTOR MAY FRACTUR…

Jun 201010V-240
Electrical System

GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUT…

Aug 201010V-375
Seat Belts

GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE, BUICK ENCLAVE, GMC ACADIA, AND SATURN OUTLOOK VEHICLES. THE SECOND ROW SEAT SIDE TRIM SHIELD RESTRICTS THE UPWARD ROTATION OF THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLE WHEN THE SEAT BACK IS RETURNED TO A SEATING POSITION AFTER BEING FOLDED FL…

Mar 201414V-118
Air Bags:Side/Window

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia and 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bag (SIAB) wiring harnesses m…

May 201414V-266
Seat Belts

General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through May 14, 2014, Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured June 6, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured April 9, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and 2009-2010 Satu…

Jun 201515V-415
Structure:Body:Hatchback/Liftgate

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured September 15, 2006, to February 2…

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse have?

As of September 7, 2026, owners have filed 448 complaints about the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse with NHTSA. The most-reported system is steering.

How many recalls does the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse have?

The 2009 Chevrolet Traverse has 8 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved September 7, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.